The Secret of the Silver Scizor
by CSakuraS
Summary: What is the story behind the Silver Scizor? Will the Trainer talk? The adventure really begins in Chapter 5: Confessions!
1. The Talent Show

1 The Secret of the Silver Scizor  
  
2  
  
3 Chapter 1- The Talent Show  
  
"It's so hot!" a girl with blond hair groaned. She stumbled miserably through the streets of the bustling city, wiping sweat from her brow.  
  
The crowds of people made the heat of the summer even worse. The girl, whose name was Kris, wished bitterly that the day of the show could have been scheduled on a cooler day. But that could not be helped.  
  
Kris stopped at a cafe and got some ice cream. She sat at a table to cool off and consulted her map (the Map Card on her Pokegear was useful, but did not cover the more outer regions of the Johto area). "Let's see, I go right from Eldergreen Avenue until I see the Pokemon Center, then the show should be put up somewhere on-"  
  
Someone suddenly pushed by, making her drop her ice cream cone. Kris moaned as the chocolate ice cream landed straight onto her map. She hurried to get some napkins, but not before taking a quick glance at the man.  
  
Or was it a man? It was hard to tell. He wore a large heavy coat that covered nearly every part of his body. The coat sparkled with a metallic shine, unlike any kind of material ever used on a coat. The coat was strapped tightly around the intruder's thin waist with a leather belt. Kris thought it was strange that anyone would wear such a coat in this hot weather.  
  
She stared at the awkward figure, who moved to the back wall of the cafe. He then grabbed a flier on the counter. Kris knew what flier it was. It advertised a Pokemon Talent Show, which was going to take place in the city that day. Kris had heard of it and entered, and now she was supposed to be heading there right at that moment.  
  
Kris remembered this and quickly tried to clear up her map of the big city.  
  
Ten minutes later, the map was still damp and stained, but somewhat legible. Kris tossed away the pile of napkins and looked at her Pokegear's watch. She gasped. Only thirty more minutes until the Talent Show was to begin!  
  
Kris grabbed her map and backpack and dashed out the door of the cafe. She did not notice that the strange figure was gone.  
  
The area around the Pokemon Center was crowded and busy. Pokemon fans of all kinds attended the annual Crimson City Pokemon Talent Show to see what new, creative shows the Pokemon and their Trainers could come up with. It was worth putting up with the heat.  
  
When Kris arrived, she could see why. The stage was beautiful, not to mention huge! It was built strong and stable, so that not even the wildest Pokemon could make it wobble. Banners and flags decorated the stage from roof to floor, all made of fireproof material. You could never know what would happen.  
  
Kris checked her watch again. It had taken her twenty minutes to arrive, so the show would begin in ten minutes. Plenty of time to get ready.  
  
She followed a sign to a small lot, where the Pokemon could practice before the show. This place was crowded too, and from the look of things, this wasn't a show to miss. Kris found an area in the corner of the lot that was empty, and claimed it as her practice area.  
  
"All right everyone, time for rehearsal!" Kriss took out all six of her Pokeballs and unleashed each of her Pokemon.  
  
Charred, her male Charmeleon; Lola, her Smoochum; Polly, her female Politoad; Daisy, her female Bellossom; Doremi, her female Jigglypuff; Free, her female pink Butterfree.  
  
"Free free!" Free cried out, twirling in the air. She looked especially pretty as she sparkled, for Free was one of those extremely rare Shiny Pokemon.  
  
Daisy twirled a little too, sending a few petals around, then finished with a fancy bow. Kris laughed.  
  
Doremi tried to gain Kris's attention by puffing herself up to a bigger size, making her Polkadot Bow stretch.  
  
Lola pranced about, excited, with Polly. Ever since Kris had hatched Lola, Polly began taking on a mother-like role to the Baby Pokemon, and they were close.  
  
Charred made his 'Cool' pose, flashing his Black Glasses in the sun. Being a Fire type, and not a Dark type, Charred never really needed those Glasses, but he liked them anyway.  
  
Kris had quite a job trying to organize her six Pokemon, and it took at least three minutes before they were able to practice at all. They were only getting started when a loud voice on an intercom interrupted them.  
  
"ATTENTION! THE CRIMSON CITY POKEMON TALENT SHOW WILL BEGIN SHORTLY. ALL TRAINERS AND THEIR POKEMON PERFORMING IN THE SHOW ARE TO COME TO THE STAGE IMMEDIATLY. THAT IS ALL."  
  
Kris jumped with both joy and excitement. She snapped her fingers. All her Pokemon lined up behind her in the order that they were captured: Doremi, Free, Daisy, Polly, Lola, and Charred. Then she headed for the stage, and her Pokemon followed behind her, marching proudly. Surrounding people laughed and cheered at them as they went.  
  
Kris was confident that their performance would go smoothly. They had trained for many weeks, and knew the show by heart. Hopefully, though, nothing bad would happen until it was their turn. You could never know what would happen.  
  
Kris and her Pokemon watched the Talent Show from backstage. So far there had been some really neat performances. There was a boy and his Mr. Mime, who had a comedy; the boy told the jokes and his Mr. Mime acted them out.  
  
There was also a cute one with many Baby Pokemon, including Togepi, Elekid, Magby, Igglybuff, Cleffa, and Pichu, all doing a dance. However, that didn't last long as the babies soon lost interest dancing and began playing games with each other. Lola giggled and tried to join them, but Kris held her back. She didn't want Lola to be mixing with such badly trained Pokemon.  
  
Then there was a magic show with a Kadabra. Nobody was really pleased by that one, for anybody who knew anything about Pokemon knew that it wasn't magic; Kadabra was just using its psychic powers.  
  
Now it was almost Kris and her Pokemon's turn, so Kris began handing out the Pokemikes.  
  
The Pokemike was a new invention from Silph Co., but it wasn't yet released. Kris was lucky enough to have won a contest, in which she was able to win the first ever FullPack, containing three Pokemikes. The Pokemikes were used to translate a Pokemon's words into recognizable languages so humans could understand them. This was a great breakthrough in Pokemon technology, as now Pokemon Researchers might be able to unveil many more secrets of the Pokemon world. But there were still a few problems involved.  
  
Those problems didn't really matter to Kris, for she didn't want them to be able to talk with her Pokemon. They already communicated just fine without using some machine. No, the devices were for a more practical, enjoyable reason. Doremi, Lola, and Polly used them. Free and Daisy played a different role. As for Charred, he was using something else.  
  
Nervously, they waited the final few minutes while the other Trainer's performance drew to an end. Finally, it was time.  
  
The Trainer and her two Dittos exited the stage, wishing Kris's group luck on the way. They all took a deep breath, and headed onto the stage.  
  
The audience clapped politely as the next show began. The stage was dark with all the lights turned off. This added to the darkness of the night, as it had become quite late after all the other performances.  
  
Suddenly, there was a light put on, spotlighting two Pokemon. An adorable little Bellossom began dancing, creating a rhythmic melody by chanting "Bella! Bella! Bellossom!" over and over again. Overhead, a dazzling pink Butterfree danced along. The audience was even more delighted when the Bellossom began using its Petal Dance move and the Butterfree its Sweet Scent. The smell of fresh flowers flooded the stage, adding on to the mesmerizing dance.  
  
Then the music began; faint at first, then louder as four lovely voices began to sing. The stage was completely lit up, and the people could see who was singing. A Jigglypuff wearing a Polkadot Bow, a Smoochum, and a Politoad were using three strange microphones. A Charmeleon wearing Black Glasses stood in the background, wielding an electric guitar. And singing right next to the three main Pokemon with an ordinary microphone was a teenage girl. The song was lively and had a good beat. Some of the younger children of the crowd began singing along.  
  
  
  
"Some people  
  
all they're good at is  
  
being some one else.  
  
But me, it's different  
  
'cause I just be myself.  
  
  
  
Those people,  
  
they don't want to think  
  
that they are nothing new.  
  
Then why do they imitate?  
  
I don't get it, how 'bout you?  
  
  
  
I am who I am!  
  
So I mind as well be me.  
  
I can't change myself you know,  
  
'cause me's who I will be!"  
  
The singers took a break as the Charmeleon began a long guitar solo. The audience was fascinated. Such talent! Such energy! The Charmeleon grinned broadly, his ego rising higher and higher.  
  
While Charred did his part, Kris gazed at the crowd before her. They were all concentrating on Charred at the moment. Except for one person. Kris realized that it was the strange person wearing the coat! He sat in the back row, not really paying attention to the stage. No, the person seemed to be looking about at the people in the audience.  
  
Before she could wonder who the stranger was looking for, Kris realized it was her part again. She and her Pokemon gave the show a great ending and bowed, backed up with loud applause. Their performance was a great success, and Kris couldn't be prouder. But still, the strange, coated figure was still on her mind. And she grew more curious still when, as they left the stage, she saw that the figure had disappeared from his seat. 


	2. An Unforgettable Night

1.1 Chapter 2- An Unforgettable Night  
  
After the Talent Show had ended, the fans still drifted around, looking around the different stalls that had been set up all around the street. The stalls all sold Pokemon products, with colorful Pokemon lanterns hung up every few feet, so soon the place became similar to a Pokemon festival.  
  
Kris and her Pokemon were exhausted. Working under those bright lights in front of all those people was hard, and they all felt they needed a good sleep. At least most of them did. Lola was still full of energy, and she dashed around the empty lot humming the song.  
  
Kris didn't have much money, so she was forced to make camp in the lot, whereas the other Trainers spent their nights in hotels and such. But the winners of the Talent Show would be announced the next morning, and if she won there would be a large cash prize. Kris hoped that the judges liked her performance.  
  
As one by one her Pokemon fell asleep, Kris quietly returned them to their Pokeballs. Soon only Lola was left. Although it was way past her bedtime, the Smoochum still pranced about as if it was still the middle of the day.  
  
Kris could barely keep her eyes open. It was getting very late now. Most of the stalls had closed up, and not as much people were around. She lay back in her sleeping bag and turned on the radio on her Pokegear. Perhaps a lullaby would make Lola get sleepy.  
  
Instead, it had the opposite effect. Lola, delighted to hear a song she knew well, began singing along with her Sing attack. Being a Baby Pokemon, she still couldn't control her voice from switching from harmless singing to an attack. Soon Kris was fast asleep.  
  
After the song ended, the radio began playing a different song. Lola didn't recognize this one, so she didn't sing along. The streets were empty and dark. The howl of a Houndour somewhere in the city could be heard. Lola shivered. This place was getting scary.  
  
Kris opened her eyes. She stared at the sky for a moment, dazed, then gasped and quickly sat up. How long had she been asleep? According to the Pokegear, for about half an hour. Then Kris gasped even louder when she realized that Lola was gone!  
  
Luckily, Lola had trodden in some mud during her wanderings, and in no time Kris was tracking her footprints with a flashlight. 'Stupid!' she scolded herself as she searched. 'I was supposed to be looking after her! I can't believe I fell asleep! Some Trainer I am!'  
  
As she turned to go in a dark alley, the footprints finally stopped. And there she was. Lola had gotten sleepy during her little walk, and now she slept leaning against a dumpster. Kris couldn't help but smile at her cute Pokemon, and returned her to the Pokeball.  
  
She turned to leave, but a sound stopped her in her tracks. It was coming from the empty street where she had come from. Hiding within the shadows of the alley, Kris inched closer until she could see who was there. She was surprised to find the strange person in the coat standing right in the middle of the road. The person just stood there, waiting for something or someone.  
  
Kris wondered if she should step out and introduce herself. After all, she couldn't stay in that alley forever. But as soon as she had thought this, a suspicious idea popped into her head. What if this person was dangerous? He certainly didn't seem like the friendly type.  
  
Before she could make up her mind, she heard the sound of footsteps coming nearer. They were coming from the opposite direction from where the stranger was facing. As the footsteps came closer and closer, Kris could see that whoever was coming was shorter than the person with the coat was. Then he stepped out into the moonlight.  
  
It was a boy. About Kris's own age, with wild brown hair and serious eyes. There were a few Pokeballs on his belt. A Pokemon Trainer?  
  
"Sorry. I was late," the Trainer said. "The bus was delayed so I couldn't make it on time."  
  
The figure in the coat, who still hadn't turned around, mumbled something back in a low voice. Kris strained to hear, but couldn't. She realized that she was spying on them, which wasn't a good thing, but still stayed.  
  
"I couldn't help it, all right!" said the Trainer exasperatingly. "But now I'm here. Let's talk." He came closer to the person in the coat, so he could hear the person's voice better as he spoke.  
  
The Trainer looked down at his belt. "My Pokeballs? Okay, sure." He took off his belt and placed them on the ground at his feet. "Satisfied?"  
  
The person nodded his or her head, and turned around.  
  
"Now!" the Trainer yelled. Suddenly, three Pokemon leaped out from the shadowy street behind the person. Kris recognized them as a Jolteon, Donphan, and Arbok.  
  
Quick as lightning, the Donphan curled up and launched a Rollout at the person with the coat. But he was quicker. As the Donphan neared, the figure hit out with his arm, and the Donphan spun out of control. Whirling like a whirlwind, it crashed into the Jolteon.  
  
The Arbok dodged as the figure swiped at it, then sank its fangs into his arm. A loud CLANK! could be heard as the teeth met flesh...or was it flesh?  
  
The person in the coat shook his arm fiercely, but the Arbok held on tightly, despite the fact that its mouth was aching badly from the Bite it had done.  
  
Then, while the person in the coat was preoccupied, the Trainer snatched a Pokeball from his belt on the ground. He stood up, then threw it at the figure as hard as he could.  
  
The next thing happened so fast that neither Kris, nor the Trainer, nor even the Arbok could have expected it. In less than a second, the figure had whipped around, sending the Arbok flying into the wall, then a quarter of a second later, thrown off the coat and held out his or her hand and swung at the speeding Pokeball! CLANG! The Pokeball was suddenly zooming like a bullet, and embedded itself into the wall an inch away from the Trainer's head.  
  
Kris was speechless. She stared with wide eyes at the person in the coat, who really wasn't a person and was no longer wearing the coat.  
  
In the street stood a Scizor, sparkling marvelously in the moonlight. This was obviously no ordinary Scizor. Its body shone silver, instead of red, and its eyes were steel blue, instead of yellow. And every single part of it, from its feet, to its claws, to its head, was literally glowing with power.  
  
"You tricked me!" he bellowed. Even in such a circumstance, Kris was amazed that the Scizor spoke like any other human, and this time loudly and in a clear voice.  
  
The Trainer looked both devastated and horrified. The Scizor looked simply murderous.  
  
"I..." the Trainer stammered, but choked on his words.  
  
The Scizor advanced with one claw raised and blue eyes glaring coldly at the him.  
  
Kris panicked. She had to do something, but what? Frantically, she tried to come up with a plan, but her mind came up blank. Without thinking, she did the only thing she could do: scream.  
  
The Scizor's attention snapped to Kris in an instant. The Trainer jumped, and fell to the ground.  
  
Kris couldn't move. It had worked; the Trainer was safe for a moment. But what about her? The Scizor was staring directly at her, and she knew she couldn't outrun him. Her Pokemon in their Pokeballs were back at the lot; all she had was Lola. Then Kris saw that Lola's Pokeball had fallen from her hands and rolled a short distance away. All she could do was stand there and wait for the end.  
  
The Scizor moved swiftly, but not in her direction. He picked up his Metal Coat, put it back on, then ran down the street out of sight.  
  
Kris sighed long and hard, realizing that she had been holding her breath. "H-hello?" she said to the Trainer, her voice shaking. "My n-name's Kris."  
  
Immediately, he stood up and smoothed back his hair. "Y-yeah. Right." he said, obviously still shaken up, no matter how much he tried to hide it.  
  
He took out four Pokeballs from his jeans pocket and returned his three Pokemon. For a moment he looked at the fourth Pokeball, sighed, then put them all away. He picked up the belt from the ground, then turned to leave.  
  
"Wait a minute!" Before she could stop herself, Kris had grabbed Lola's Pokeball and ran up to him. "What just happened back there? And that Pokemon- that Scizor- why...? How…?"  
  
"It's nothing. Just forget about it." the Trainer muttered under his breath, not even bothering to look at her. He moved to leave again.  
  
Kris grabbed his arm. "Hey! You aren't getting away that easily! I want to know what happened here!"  
  
"It's none of your business!" the Trainer shot back, tugging his arm from her grasp. His serious green eyes glared coldly at her. "Just leave me alone, unless you want to get killed." Without another word, he dashed back into the shadows.  
  
Kris couldn't believe it. He owed her an explanation, at least. If that Scizor was as powerful as it seemed, then she could have easily gotten killed back there. And it was none of her business?  
  
"Ooooh no, I'm too into this now. You can't just tell me to forget about it. I'm going to get an explanation whether you want me to or not." Kris muttered while sneaking back to the lot.  
  
Once back, she took out Free's Pokeball. "Free, come out!"  
  
Out popped the shiny, pink, sleepy Butterfree. "Freee?" she yawned.  
  
"Wake up Free! We've got work to do!" said Kris. After all that action, the young girl couldn't have gotten to sleep even if she wanted to. She took out a cord and her Pokedex from her backpack. After wrapping one end of the cord around Free's antennae, she attached the other end to her Pokedex and pressed the button labeled TRACK. A small map of the area appeared on her screen.  
  
"Okay, Free! Supersonic!"  
  
"Freeeeeyeeeeeyeeeeeyeeeee..." Free's large eyes glowed red and she let out a series of high-pitched noises.  
  
"Let's see, his Pokemon were beat up pretty badly in that fight. If I'm guessing correctly, he should be at a Pokemon Center healing them. But which one?"  
  
Free searched the air for waves sent out by a Pokemon Center's Healing Stations.  
  
Kris toyed with several knobs on her Pokedex until she could get a clear picture. "So let's see, there are four Pokemon Centers in this city. Only those two are currently in use, and that one is too far away. So it's got to be this one. Free, focus on the Pokemon Center next to Burger King on Terring Street. See if you can track a male Trainer with a Jolteon, Donphan and Arbok, will you?"  
  
Free twitched her antennae. A small red dot appeared on the screen of Kris's Pokedex.  
  
"Bingo!" Kris exclaimed. She shared a brief celebration with Free that consisted of high-fives and pats on the head, then turned back to her screen. The dot was leaving the Pokemon Center and was now heading northward down the street toward a hotel.  
  
"Hmm, I guess he's staying there tonight." Kris frowned, a little disappointed. Well, as long as she was awake... "Free, can you track down a Scizor for me? It's shiny, like you, and is wearing a heavy Metal Coat. It could move pretty fast, but I don't think it's fast enough to leave the city yet."  
  
Free tried and tried, but no signs of the silver Scizor could be detected. Finally, when it was only two hours before dawn, they gave up. With her Butterfree sleeping quietly beside her, Kris watched the arrival of daylight with a puzzled expression on her face. Whatever happened that night, it was certain that it would change her life. 


	3. Last Chance

1.1 Chapter 3- Last Chance  
  
This was Charlie's last chance.  
  
"If you screw up one more time, you're outta here!"  
  
He had to get it right this time.  
  
"Can't you do anything right!?"  
  
There was no other choice.  
  
"Do you want to live on the streets!?"  
  
Charlie held the bag of money tightly to his chest and went over the assignment. When his father called out the first place winner, he would wait until the winner appeared, come out onto the stage, give the winner the money, clap for a few minutes, then step off the stage. Simple, right? Of course. But this was Charlie. Something was bound to go wrong.  
  
"Listen! If you want to stay in this business- or even in this family- you had better do things right!"  
  
"Y-yessir..." Charlie mumbled. He hugged the money tighter.  
  
"We're counting on you to deliver this money, even if it kills you!"  
  
"Y-yes, father. I'll d-deliver it if it's the l-last thing I d-do."  
  
"Good! Now wait here." His father walked onto the stage.  
  
Charlie sighed, then winced as his father's booming voice roared at him again, "And stop hugging that money! It's not yours, it's for the Pokemon Talent Show Winner!"  
  
"Y-yessir..." Charlie mumbled. He peeked out from behind the curtains at the audience. It was 9 in the morning, and already a crowd had arrived. Charlie could see many of the Trainers that had been present the day before. He gulped. Seeing so many people all at once made him nervous.  
  
Yes, that was his main weakness. Agoraphobia, they called it: the fear of social situations. Being confronted by his father was bad enough, but walking out in front of so many, many, many people all at once? Just the thought made him sweat.  
  
But there was nothing else he could do. He wasn't smart, wasn't talented, and he could barely even talk to another human being without st- stuttering every few w-words.  
  
"This is the only thing you're good for, and you can't even do it right!"  
  
His father was right. He had to improve, he had to! He could do it, right? Charlie doubted it.  
  
His father began to speak into the microphone. The audience listened patiently and clapped every so often as his father talked, and talked, and talked, and talked. Then, at last, he began announcing the winners.  
  
"Third Place goes to...Larry Dorian and his Mr. Mime!" Clap, clap, clap, the boy and his Pokemon got onto the stage, received their prize, and got off the stage.  
  
"Second Place goes to...Duplica Lookalike and her two Dittos!" Clap, clap, clap, three female Trainers took their prize, and as they left the stage, two of them dissolved into little pink blobs, making people laugh.  
  
"And First Place goes to...Kris Porter and her six, talented Pokemon!" Even more clapping, a few cheers mixed in. Charlie took a deep breath, held it, held it, held it- his face was turning purple- held it, then let it out with a whoosh.  
  
The people were still clapping, but less enthusiastically. Charlie's father looked around at the audience, his smile just barely masking his puzzlement. The clapping died down; no one was cheering. Then...silence.  
  
"Kris Porter? Is Kris Porter here? Please come onto the stage to retrieve your prize money!" his father repeated. No one stood up. Someone in the back row coughed.  
  
Charlie was almost smiling. If no one came to get their prize, then he didn't have to hand it to them! This was too good to be true!  
  
Then Charlie's father turned and looked back at Charlie, where he was watching from around the curtains. The frown on his face made Charlie's blood turn cold. This was still his last chance.  
  
Silently, Charlie sneaked away. He crept away from that horrifying stage and the large audience, and into a dark alley. Once there, he took something out of the pocket of his large pants (they were once his father's) and replaced it with the bag of money. Then he held the item in front of him and pushed a button.  
  
"Duo duo!" cried the male Doduo as it popped out of its Pokeball.  
  
Charlie sighed with relief. He was afraid of being with people, yes, but with Pokemon it was different. They were the only living things he could ever connect to, and when he spoke to them, he never stuttered once. Charlie's Doduo was his only friend.  
  
He climbed onto the Doduo's back and held tightly onto the tough, scraggly feathers on its back. "Alright, Dodo, find Kris Porter!"  
  
Kris had not always been this curious or obsessive. She knew it was unusual and all in all unhealthy to go about spying on someone you don't even know. She was no different from a stalker, really.  
  
But there was something about that Scizor that made it different from other Pokemon. Well, besides the fact that it was abnormally strong, could speak English and was shinier than her mother's silverware (and that says a lot), there was something about it...something important...something dangerous. And for some reason, she felt that it was her duty to find out what.  
  
Kris began her day by taking a quick thirty-minute nap, then set off early in the morning to the hotel where the Trainer was staying. After buying a sports cap (the Goldenrod Golbats) and sunglasses as a disguise, she hung around the lobby reading old magazines and stuffing herself with stale donuts for an hour and a half until, finally, the Trainer came down to the lobby and checked out.  
  
By then it was 7:30 AM. Kris followed the Trainer out into the street, careful to stay a good distance away, but close enough to keep an eye on him. He went for the nearest phone booth and had a short conversation with someone for about five minutes, while Kris pretended to look into a shop window when she was really looking at the Trainer's image reflected in the glass.  
  
The Trainer hung up, took his change, and stepped out of the phone booth, when a Pidgey came and perched on his shoulder. He looked surprised and untied a piece of paper from the Pidgey's leg. The Pidgey promptly flew away again and the Trainer smoothed the paper out on the phone booth door. Then he read it silently. Kris's excellent lip-reading skills came in handy.  
  
"Meet...me...in...Greensworth...Park...today...at..."  
  
"Excuse me, are you K-Kris P-Porter?"  
  
Kris jumped a foot high and broke her sunglasses.  
  
"SSHH!!" she hissed, clamping a hand over the little boy's mouth. Seeing the terrified expression in his eyes, she let him go and whispered, "Yes. What is it?"  
  
"Y-y-your p-prize m-money from the T-T-T-Talent Show." said the boy, shaking from head to toe.  
  
Kris slapped herself in the head. "Oh no! I completely forgot about that! You mean- you mean I won?"  
  
The boy nodded. He had messy sandy-colored hair, much like the feathers of a Doduo, and watery blue eyes. But perhaps the reason they looked so watery was because he looked like he would cry any minute now.  
  
"Well, could you wait for a moment? I'm a little busy right now-" Kris gasped. The Trainer was gone! Leaving the boy trembling in his shoes, she hurried to Greensworth Park without another look back. 


	4. Peril in the Park

1.1 Chapter 4- Peril in the Park  
  
Greensworth Park wasn't a very big place. Situated right in the middle of the bustling city, it was a favorite spot for Pokemon Trainers to relax and hang out. A labyrinth of trees, grass and bushes, with only a narrow path to remind one that they weren't in a jungle. Strict laws over vandalism and littering kept the park the cleanest spot in all of Crimson City.  
  
However, on the day of the Pokemon Talent Show, the Park was deserted. That is, except for the three strangers weaving their way through the green maze.  
  
Kris leaned against the trunk of a tree. "They…must…be here…somewhere!" she panted. But finding that someone was proving to be a problem. Although the park was small, anyone unfamiliar with the twisting passages and dead ends would think that it stretched for miles.  
  
"Free, come out!"  
  
The Butterfree popped dazzling out of her Pokeball. Using her Pokedex and Free's Supersonic, Kris soon had an accurate map of the whole Park. A blinking light showed that the male Trainer was heading toward the center of the maze.  
  
If it weren't for the vandalism laws, Kris would have cut straight through the bushes to her destination. Instead, she had to waste a frustrating ten minutes wandering through the maze with her Pokedex as a guide. By then the Trainer had already reached the center where, according to the map on her screen, a water fountain and park benches decorated the scene.  
  
As she neared the place, another dot appeared on the screen a short distance away. She dropped down into the bushes and returned Free. It would be hard being inconspicuous with a giant, shiny butterfly fluttering around. Now only relying on her senses, Kris crawled through the greenery until she was right at the edge of the clearing. From that position, she could see all without anyone seeing her.  
  
And there was the Trainer. He was looking restless and impatient, tapping his foot and constantly looking at the clock on his Pokegear. A rustling nearby made him instinctively reach for the Pokeballs on his belt. His green eyes were wide with uncertainty; the look of one apprehensive of the future. For a moment everything seemed to stand still. The Trainer waited, unsure of what will come next. Kris watched him, mesmerized.  
  
Then into the clearing strode the Scizor. Time sped back to its normal pace. Kris blinked. What just happened there?  
  
The Trainer's hands didn't budge from his belt. "What do you want?" he demanded.  
  
The Scizor took off his coat and slung it over a bench. His silver armor was nearly blinding in the sun. "I want to talk. I was willing to do so last night, but this time it's on my own terms."  
  
"Fine. Then let's talk."  
  
"Why do you keep following me?"  
  
"You know why. I can't just let you run around like some walking freak show. You need help."  
  
The Scizor's voice lowered. "I don't need help, nor any human to keep chasing after me wherever I go."  
  
"I made you who you are!" the Trainer yelled, green eyes alight with anger. "You can't just walk away from me!"  
  
"Silence!" The Scizor raised his claw. "You can no longer tell me what to do or not to do; those days are over! And if you do not realize that quickly, then I may have to make you-- by force."  
  
The situation was beginning to look like it had been the other night; the Silver Scizor with his claw raised, ready to kill, and the male Trainer standing there with nothing he could do about it.  
  
Kris began to panic again, then remembered that this time she wasn't alone. She also kept a hand on her belt, ready to move into action when necessary. If worse came to worse, she might have to do some battling of her own.  
  
The Trainer gritted his teeth. "So this is the thanks I get? After all that time we spent together, fighting side by side? This is how you repay me?"  
  
"Those days are over," the Scizor repeated.  
  
"Listen to me, Slicer! I can get you help. There's bound to be some experts in this-this…whatever it is."  
  
"Stop."  
  
"Just tell me what happened! We can work it out! It shouldn't be that hard. All we have to do is--"  
  
"I told you to STOP!!"  
  
The Scizor charged. The Trainer barely had time to react before the Pokemon was on top of him, ready to deliver a lethal swing.  
  
Kris saw her chance, and took it.  
  
"Charred!"  
  
The Charmeleon materialized in the clearing. "Charr!" he grinned, flashing his glasses. Kris shot up from her hiding place and joined him.  
  
The other two's heads swung round. "You!" they both cried, seeing her.  
  
Kris shouted at the Trainer, "Get out of there, now!" Then turning to Charred, "Flamethrower!"  
  
The Trainer darted away just as the wall of fire hit the Scizor. He glared irately at her. "What are you doing here!?"  
  
"Saving your butt, what does it look like?"  
  
"I don't need anyone to save me, especially you!"  
  
"Yeah right." She glared back at him. Ungrateful little…then her attention went back to the battle at hand as Charred took a break from his Flamethrower.  
  
Kris was confident that the battle would go well. As powerful as it seemed, Scizor was still a Bug/Steel type, meaning it had a double weakness against Fire. And even if Charred couldn't win, her opponent would hopefully be so weak that she could finish him off with Free, or maybe even try catching him.  
  
However, to her consternation, the Pokemon that now stood before her showed no signs of damage. Not one scorch or burn mark showed on his armor, the sparkling metallic sheen just as shiny as ever.  
  
"N-no way! But--" Kris looked back at the bench. The Metal Coat was still slung over it from before. It would have been understandable if he'd been wearing the coat, but managing to withstand an attack without receiving any damage…? That Scizor's Defense must be pretty high.  
  
Kris fumbled for her Pokedex. Flipping it open, she pointed it at the Scizor. With a beep, the Pokemon's stats appeared on the screen. She gasped. "What the--!?"  
  
Level 200!? Kris felt faint. I-impossible! Pokemon can only go up to level 100--that was the limit. No Pokemon in the history of the world had ever gone past that. It had to be a glitch or something. Maybe the batteries were running out--she used it for a long time last night, after all.  
  
"Charr charr!" Charred cried, snapping her back to attention.  
  
The Scizor was now involved in some weird ceremony, waving its claws about until they became a blur. At last he stopped, freezing in a battle stance. A red aura seemed to surround him and his claws glowed.  
  
"Swords Dance…" Kris gaped, then yelled, "Charred, duck!"  
  
And not a moment too soon. The fiery lizard peered up from his sprawled position on the ground to see the Scizor leering down at him, his claw embedded in a tree. Taking advantage of their close quarters, Charred blew an Ember into the Scizor's face.  
  
"Rrrrrraaaaarrgh!" the Scizor roared. With the swiftness of an arrow, he decapitated the tree with one swipe, grabbed Charred by the throat with his other claw, and tossed him into the air as if he weighed nothing.  
  
"No!" gasped Kris, realizing her Pokemon was falling toward the water fountain. Then she sighed in relief when he managed to cling onto the statue of a Blastoise in the middle of the fountain. Charred frantically scrabbled onto the head of the statue with his claws. He peeked at the pool of water below, and the water that flowed from the stone Blastoise's two cannons. He gulped.  
  
The Scizor smiled, and moved.  
  
The resulting explosion showered the clearing with debris like stinging rain. The two Trainers had to dive into the bushes to avoid flying bits of rock that had enough force to be counted as bullets.  
  
Charred lay among the remains of the Blastoise, his tailflame dwindling to half its original size. He tried to get up, but his strength failed him. Kris climbed back out of the bushes to see a shocking sight. The Scizor stood over Charred with not one dent in his armor, looking for all to see like a victorious conqueror. She grabbed Charred's Pokeball from the ground and pointed it at him, desperate to return her Pokemon back before it was too late. But the Scizor blocked the path of the capture beam so that it was impossible. Her eyes widened. This couldn't be happening! Now she realized that her chances of winning were next to nothing from the start, and she couldn't even bring Charred back to safety!  
  
Charred found for a moment how it felt to be completely helpless, before realizing that the world seemed lighter now. And not because he was close to death or anything like that. A few feet away lay his Black Glasses, shattered among the pieces of rock.  
  
The tailflame blasted back to life with an uncontrolled frenzy. It grew and grew until it was twice the size it once was. Charred jumped to his feet, snarling with a wild look in his eyes. The Scizor stepped back, startled.  
  
Kris whooped. "Rage!"  
  
But the Scizor wasn't yet beaten. In the blink of an eye, he had knocked Charred back down to the ground. This only made the tailflame grow bigger. Once again Charred was on his feet, savagely whipping his blazing tail at his foe. The Scizor responded by taking hold of the tail, regardless of the flames, and swinging him into a tree.  
  
Bruised and battered, Charred twisted out of his hold and sprang onto the Scizor's chest, now foaming at the mouth. Teeth, claws and fire tore at the Scizor's armor, and still it remained intact. The battling Pokemon exchanged attacks, neither one backing away nor slowing down.  
  
Kris began to lose hope again. Rage or no Rage, Charred would soon fall. This way it would only take longer and Charred would be more hurt at the end. She watched them spar with her eyes, waiting for an opening. At last, when Charred momentarily had the Scizor up against a tree, she pointed the Pokeball at him. "Return!" The raging Charmeleon disappeared from the battle in a flash of light, but he still yearned to fight. Kris had to hold the Pokeball tight to keep it from wiggling out of her hands.  
  
The Scizor fixed a stare on them, not even breathing hard. Kris gulped. Even if her Pokedex did have a bug, it was still apparent that this Pokemon's level was much higher than any of hers. She'd taken on too big of an opponent this time.  
  
Suddenly a blaring siren sounded a short distance away. It took them a while to take it all in; Kris looked at the destroyed water fountain, ripped foliage, and mutilated sign that read "No littering, No Vandalism," and panicked.  
  
The Scizor didn't seem to want attention either. With one last twirl of the Metal Coat, he darted away through the bushes, causing further destruction as he went.  
  
Kris and the Trainer ran into each other two times before they both raced to the same place: out of the park.  
  
---------  
  
What is the secret of the silver Scizor? Will the Trainer finally talk? Find out in Chapter 5: Confessions! 


	5. Confessions

Chapter 5- Confessions  
  
It was already past noon by the time they made it to the Pokemon Center. They chose the one that was farthest away from Greensworth Park, but the faint police sirens still rang in their ears.  
  
The Trainer collapsed in a chair as soon as they came in, gasping for breath, but Kris went on to the counter. With a last bit of effort, she slammed her hand on the bell.  
  
Ding!  
  
The nurse came hurrying from the back up to the counter and was met by a dirty, tired-looking teenage girl panting on the floor.  
  
"My, my, what happened here?"  
  
"Battle.Pokemon.injured." Kris gasped. She was covered in sweat, dirt, and leaves; bits of white stone flaked her dark hair. Her body shook with exhaustion and she felt terribly hot and heavy. "Need.help."  
  
"Alright, but first I need to know the extent of its injuries. Let's see it."  
  
Kris took out Charred's Pokeball and placed it on the counter top. Immediately it burst open and the still raging Charmeleon appeared on the counter. The nurse tried inspecting him but was forced back by a Flamethrower. Charred flailed about on the counter, claws tearing the air, still seeking his opponent. But the nurse wasn't giving up either.  
  
"Stop! Stop--stay still! Hey! THAT'S ENOUGH!"  
  
BONG!  
  
Thud.  
  
The nurse put down the computer monitor and bent down to examine Charred's unconscious body. "Hmm, nothing fatal, but he's still very much hurt. I'd say about two hours should do the job." She smiled cheerfully. "Don't worry, I'll take good care of him!"  
  
"O-okay. I guess." said Kris, wide-eyed.  
  
As the nurse carried Charred into the emergency room, Kris dragged herself to a chair in the lounge right beside the one the Trainer was sitting in. She looked around. Beside them and the nurse, the Pokemon Center was deserted. Maybe because of the Pokemon Talent Show? But that should have ended by now. Then where else would all the Trainers be? A glance at the television confirmed her worst suspicions.  
  
"At 12:15 today, police were alerted by an explosion coming from somewhere in Greensworth Park. There, they found the Park's most popular symbol, the Blastoise Fountain, destroyed beyond recognition. Officials are now searching for any suspects of who could have done this dastardly deed, and Pokemon Trainers are enraged. Some have already begun to rebuild-"  
  
Kris groaned and grabbed the remote.  
  
Click.  
  
"And now for some live coverage from-"  
  
Click.  
  
"What kind of person would resort-"  
  
Click.  
  
"Whoever did this is gonna pay-"  
  
Click.  
  
"I love you, you love me, we're a happy-"  
  
Click click click!!  
  
She finally stopped on a channel that was playing a cartoon of Dodrio and Houndoom. Kris sighed and stared blankly as the Houndoom fell off yet another cliff and Dodrio sped off with a "Beepbeep!"  
  
"I told you to stay out of it."  
  
The Trainer, who had recovered a bit, shot her an angry glance. "And now we're both in trouble."  
  
"What are you talking about!? I saved your life-twice!"  
  
"No, you nearly got yourself killed-twice. Besides, I wouldn't call the first time 'saving my life.'"  
  
"What!?" Kris yelled hoarsely. He-he didn't think she'd screamed because she was scared, did he?  
  
The Trainer continued on. "Thanks to you, now I can't stay in this city any longer. You do realize that nurse will figure it out sooner or later, don't you? Once she puts two and two together, Pokemon Trainers from all over the city will be after our necks."  
  
Kris gulped. He did have a point there.  
  
The Trainer got up and went over to a soda machine. "I'm guessing it would be a few hours until she hears the news, after finishing with your Charmeleon of course. That only gives me time to clean up, stock up on supplies, and-"  
  
"Wait a minute!" Frustration restoring her energy, Kris bounded up from her chair. "Aren't you going to tell me what this is all about?"  
  
"Why should I?" he muttered, digging some coins out of his pocket.  
  
Kris stopped his hand before he could deposit the coins in the machine.  
  
"Because I'm gonna keep following you until you do."  
  
"You can't do that!" he hissed.  
  
"Oh yes I can. And you can't tell the police without making them suspicious. I can be a very stubborn person too, you know."  
  
They glared spitefully at each other for a couple of seconds, then the Trainer snatched his hand back and proceeded in buying his drink.  
  
"Can't you just mind your own business?" he growled.  
  
"Most of the time, yes. But this is different. I can't just forget what happened back there, and all I want is an explanation. Is that so hard?"  
  
The soda thudded down from the machine. There was a tense silence as the Trainer bent down to pick it up. When he straightened, he turned around and looked her straight in the eye. "So if I tell you what happened, you'll stop bothering me?" he asked seriously.  
  
Kris smiled slightly. "Yeah. I promise" She held out her hand.  
  
He studied her carefully, trying to sense deception, but only saw truthfulness in her eyes. Reluctantly, he shook her hand.  
  
----------------  
  
"It all started nine months ago when my Pokemon and I came across some old ruins north of Johto. It wasn't on my Map Card and there were no signs anywhere. There were some rocky ledges so I decided to do some training there. I let out my Jolteon and my Scizor. His name was Slicer."  
  
Kris let out a gasp. They were sitting in chairs across from each other, the television turned off and sodas in their hands. The sirens had stopped and only the ticking of the clock on the wall disrupted the silence.  
  
The Trainer nodded. "He was still a Shiny back then, but not as strong as he is now. Well, it turned out there was a big Graveler with an attitude problem living in those rocks. It surprised us and KO'd my Jolteon with one shot. Before I could stop him, Slicer went chasing after the Graveler. I tried to call him back, but when he wanted to fight, almost nothing could stop him. My Jolteon was in bad shape so I had no choice but to take him to a Pokemon Center and leave Slicer behind." He sighed and sipped his soda. "He was my strongest Pokemon, so I figured he would be okay. I mean, I raised him from a low-level Scyther and taught him everything I knew, he should have been okay!"  
  
"But he wasn't, was he?" Kris asked softly.  
  
"No.he wasn't.The nearest Pokemon Center was 20 miles away. By the time I'd gotten there and back, it had already been one day. I searched all over the place, but I found the Graveler first. It had been ripped apart piece by piece until it looked like a pile of rocks with eyeballs. After I finished looking in the ledges, I went to search inside the strange ruins. I found Slicer there, standing before and old, crumbling statue. He was.different. Taller, colder, and way too powerful. It was like his whole personality changed!"  
  
"What happened?"  
  
"That's just it-I don't know. No matter what I did, he wouldn't listen to me. He kept wondering around, as if he was looking for something. He became violent, dangerous even. Then one day, he just ran out on me all-together. It took me a while to find him again, and when I did, he was worse than before. It was then that I realized that I couldn't control him anymore.  
  
"I trained hard. I fought in gyms, won badges, caught more Pokemon, anything to gain his respect again. But nothing worked. Eventually I started trying to recapture him but, like you saw last night, he was too strong. I don't know what else I can do."  
  
"Why don't you just give up?" Kris suggested. "If he wants to go, then just let him go. After all, even if its been captured by a human, a Pokemon is still a free creature."  
  
"It's not like that!" the Trainer yelled, slamming his soda can on the coffee table nearby. "If Slicer just wanted to go off on his own, then fine! But there's something wrong with him, and as long as I'm his Trainer, I need to find out what it is! He needs help, and he's going to get it, whether he wants it or not!"  
  
For a while he stopped speaking, and stared down miserably at his hands. Kris couldn't help feeling a bit sorry for him, even if he was a stubborn, irritable, arrogant excuse of a Pokemon Trainer.  
  
"And that's it. There really wasn't much to explain in the first place, but are you satisfied now?"  
  
She nodded, and opened her mouth to say something when the doors to the emergency room opened and the nurse appeared with a miserable-looking Charred covered in bandages.  
  
"Here we are! He should be fine now, but no more battles for at least another day."  
  
Kris ran over to her Pokemon and gave him a hug. "I'm sorry Charred, I shouldn't have gotten you into a battle you couldn't win. Forgive me?"  
  
Charred nodded sadly, and heaved a big sigh.  
  
"Hmm?" Kris let him go and gave him a puzzled look. "What's wrong? Do you still hurt somewhere?"  
  
The Charmeleon shook his head, and pointed a bandaged claw at his eyes.  
  
Kris laughed. "Don't worry, you fiery showoff! I'll get you a new pair of glasses right away!"  
  
Charred cheered up immensely.  
  
----------------  
  
As soon as Charred was returned to his Pokeball for a long rest, the two Trainers quickly cleaned themselves up and hurried out of the Pokemon Center before the nurse could turn the TV back on.  
  
They walked side by side on the street, both trying not to make eye contact with any other Trainers they passed. As they got farther away from the scene of the crime, Kris continued the conversation from where she had left off.  
  
"So what are you going to do now?"  
  
"Beats me. I guess I'll keep following him until I get an idea or he finishes me off. I don't have much choice, do I?"  
  
"Hey, how do you follow him anyway? I can't seem to find him on my Tracker unless he's really close."  
  
"My Jolteon, Zip, is following his scent. Zip has a good nose, and he can't forget how Slicer smells after all the times we've been together."  
  
Kris thought for a moment, then asked, "Why don't you just have your Pokemon ask Slicer what happened? If not to you, he might talk to them."  
  
The Trainer gave her a look. "Don't you think I've tried that already? Even when I did, it's hard to learn anything new when they can't even tell me what he said."  
  
At this, she brightened. "No problem! I can help you with that!"  
  
"W-wait a minute!" the Trainer stopped in his tracks. "You said you'd stop bothering me once I told you everything!"  
  
"I said I'd stop bothering you but I never said I wouldn't help you!" Kris winked mischievously.  
  
"Uh-uh. Forget it. The only thing you'd do is make things worse. Besides, I can take care of this myself. It's my Pokemon, it's my responsibility."  
  
Then, without another word, he hustled off down the street, leaving Kris glaring at his back  
  
"How do you expect Slicer to want help when you're too stubborn to except it yourself?"  
  
The Trainer tripped. He turned slowly to look back at her, surprise etched across his normally serious face.  
  
Kris leaned against the wall of a building and crossed her arms. "Have you ever heard about that theory some Professor came up with a while ago? He says that when in a really close relationship, a Pokemon tends to take the traits of its Trainer. I don't know about you, but I believe it. Like Charred and my Jigglypuff; they're as much of a showoff as I am, and sometimes it's scary how much my Smoochum is like me when I was a kid. So let's say it really is true. If you and your Scizor were as close as you said, don't you think he would pick up more from you than what you meant to teach him?"  
  
An uncomfortable silence. Passerby gave the two teenagers weird looks as they went on with their daily routine. The male Trainer was speechless.  
  
"Never thought of that, did you? But oh well, if that's how you feel, then I guess I'll just leave you alone to sort out your own problems, even though I had a really good idea." She started heading in another direction.  
  
"Wait!"  
  
Kris had only taken a few steps, but paused in midstep.  
  
"What?" she said dully. "I thought you didn't want any help."  
  
"Well, that's-well, I mean, umm."  
  
Kris tried not to let her triumphant grin show as the other blushed and found a sudden interest in his shoes. What do you know? So the guy wasn't as stiff as she thought. It was kind of fun playing with him like this. And for some strange disturbing reason, he even looked a bit cute acting all nervous like he was now.  
  
"Wh-what I meant to say was, well, uh, I guess you're right about that and, umm, sorry. I guess. Even though you didn't have to be so incredibly annoying before."  
  
She had to stop herself from retorting at the last statement. After all, it was an apology, right? And judging from his character, it seemed that those were very rare coming from him.  
  
She shrugged. "Whatever. It's not like I have anything else to do. Besides, I'd do anything to keep from going back home." The very idea made her shudder.  
  
The Trainer arched an eyebrow at that. But having gotten over his shyness, he walked over and outstretched his hand. "My name's Daniel."  
  
Kris smiled and shook hands. "I'm Kris."  
  
Someone bumped into her from behind, and they quickly remembered where they were. The two set off down the street, once again trying not to look suspicious, which of course only succeeded in making them even more suspicious.  
  
----------------  
  
Later on, they stopped at a Subway for a quick lunch, and then went into business.  
  
"So what's this idea of yours?" Daniel asked between bites of his plain, rather boring deli style sandwich.  
  
Kris put down her own huge sloppy sandwich to explain. "Well, you can't understand what your Pokemon are telling you, right?"  
  
"Yeah, so? What can you do about it?"  
  
"Just shut up and listen. I happen to be the owner of a very useful, very convenient device that currently no one else in the world has had the opportunity of owning."  
  
"Jeez, you were right. You are a showoff."  
  
"Do you want this sandwich in your face? Anyway, long story short, I have a machine that can translate Pokemon speech into English. Wanna give it a try?"  
  
Daniel couldn't decide whether she was joking or if it was really true. "That's.possible?"  
  
"Of course it is! I even used it at the Talent Show yesterday!" Kris began digging around in her backpack. "You should've seen us, we were great! Especially Charred-you have no idea how long it took to teach him how to play guitar, but in the end it was worth it, because-"  
  
She gasped.  
  
"What's wrong?" Daniel leaned over the table to see.  
  
Kris was a living, breathing statue, her face frozen into an expression of shock and horror.  
  
There was a gaping hole in her backpack. The Pokemikes were gone.  
  
----------------  
  
What happened to Kris's Pokemikes? How far will Charlie go to deliver Kris's money? The new subplot is introduced in Chapter 6: A New Friend for Charlie! 


End file.
